Frente!
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1989 in Melbourne, Australia |
| Founder | Simon Austin, Angie Hart, Tim O'Connor, Mark Picton |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Frente! (also known simply as Frente) is an Australian band specializing in folk-pop and indie pop, established in 1989. The founding members included Simon Austin on guitar and backing vocals, Angie Hart as the lead vocalist, Tim O'Connor handling bass duties (later succeeded by Bill McDonald), and Mark Picton on drums (who was eventually replaced by Alastair Barden, followed by Peter Luscombe).
Their initial EP, Whirled, was released in August 1991 and featured the song "Labour of Love". The follow-up EP, Clunk, came out in March 1992 and contained the track "Ordinary Angels", which climbed to No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In October of the same year, they launched the single "Accidently Kelly Street", reaching No. 4. Their first full-length album, Marvin the Album, arrived in November 1992 and peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 1994, the "Labour of Love" EP saw an international release that included a rendition of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle".
Although they disbanded in 1998, Frente! has reunited on three occasions since then, most recently in 2014. According to Australian rock historian Ian McFarlane, their distinctive "quirky, irreverent, acoustic-based sound" provided a refreshing and genuine contrast to the dominant grunge movement of that period.
Originating in Melbourne in 1989 under the name "Frente," the group consisted of Simon Austin (guitar and backing vocals), Angie Hart (lead vocals), Tim O'Connor (bass), and Mark Picton (drums and recorder). The band's name is derived from the Spanish terms for 'forehead' and 'front'. After two years of local performances, they independently produced their debut EP Whirled in August 1991 through Thumb Print Records with Owen Bolwell as producer. The exclamation point was added on CD covers for visual emphasis. The track "Labour of Love," co-written by Austin and Hart, reached No. 69 on Triple J's Hottest 100 in 1991.
Signing with Mushroom Records' White Label imprint, Frente! released their second EP, Clunk, in March 1992. This release included "Ordinary Angels," which attained No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold for shipping over 35,000 units. The October 1992 single "Accidently Kelly Street" peaked at No. 4 and earned platinum status with shipments exceeding 70,000 copies. Despite being a typographical error by their label, the misspelled title was retained for branding purposes. Initially embraced by Hart as an uplifting and confident tune, she later expressed dissatisfaction after it became subject to parody on Australian television.
Marvin the Album, their debut LP released on 24 November 1992, reached No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart and received platinum certification. Production credits include Daniel Denholm, Michael Koppelman, alongside the band members themselves. At the 1993 ARIA Awards, Frente! secured accolades for Breakthrough Artist – Album and Breakthrough Artist – Single with "Ordinary Angels." Additional singles such as "No Time" charted modestly at No. 50. By this phase, Alastair Barden had replaced Mark Picton behind the drum kit.
In 1994, Frente! embarked on tours across Europe and North America to promote the international edition of Marvin the Album released through Mammoth Records. Their acoustic cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" achieved notable success: reaching No. 76 in the UK charts and climbing to No. 7 on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart upon reissue; it also secured positions at No. 10 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks and No. 49 on the US Hot 100 chart. Other singles like "Ordinary Angels" gained exposure through popular television soundtracks such as Melrose Place. Following extensive touring commitments, Tim O'Connor departed from the band and was replaced by Bill McDonald.
In early 1995, Angie Hart lent her vocals to Pop!'s single "Tingly," which reached No. 92 on Australian charts. That same year, Frente! recorded their sophomore album Shape in Spain with producers Ted Niceley, David M. Allen, Cameron McVey, alongside band input. Released in July 1996, it peaked at No. 35 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Singles including "Sit on My Hands" and "What's Come Over Me" achieved moderate chart placements both domestically and in the United Kingdom. Critics observed a shift toward a more polished sound incorporating experimental influences but noted limited enduring impact.
Throughout 1996, Frente! toured extensively across Europe, Asia, and North America supporting Shape, augmenting their live lineup with Fraser Brindley on keyboards. During this time frame, internal tensions surfaced; Angie Hart described an intermittent romantic relationship with Simon Austin amid touring strains. In late 1996 through early 1997, they served as support for Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill tour across Canada and Australia; Morissette's guitarist Jesse Tobias became Hart’s partner and joined Frente! for their final tour before disbanding at the end of 1997. Subsequently, Hart and Tobias formed the duo Splendid.
Post break-up activities
Towards the end of 2003, Frente! founders Austin and Hart, both residing in the United States, began collaborating on songwriting once more. Their track "Sleeping" was featured on Splendid's EP, States of Awake (2004). In late 2004, Austin and Hart revived Frente! for a series of acoustic performances in New York and Los Angeles. By January 2005, Frente! embarked on a tour along Australia's east coast with Austin, Hart, McDonald, and Pete Luscombe on drums, coinciding with the release of the three-track EP Try to Think Less through Pop Boomerang Records. On 28 November 2010, Frente! took the stage at a Punters Club reunion event held at the Corner Hotel, an occasion curated by Hart and showcasing other early 1990s Melbourne bands such as The Glory Box and The Fauves. The following year, they appeared at the Brisbane Festival within the Spiegeltent venue.
In March 2014, Austin and Hart announced a nine-date Australian tour under the Frente! name to commemorate the 21st anniversary of Marvin the Album. This celebration included issuing a special two-CD anniversary edition on 16 May.
In March 2023, Frente! performed at MordiFest in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of Marvin the Album, accompanied by Tamara Murphy on bass, Sophie Koh on keyboards, and Ben Wiesner handling drums. They also participated in the Castlemaine State Festival, where O'Connor made a brief appearance on bass during "Accidently Kelly Street".
Frente! was part of the Mushroom 50 Concert honoring five decades of Mushroom Records, delivering a live rendition of "Ordinary Angels" at Rod Laver Arena on 26 November 2023.
On 31 August 2024, Frente! played at the reopening event for the Punters Club.
In popular culture
The song "Kelly Street" was humorously parodied by The Late Show, featuring performers Jane Kennedy, Tony Martin, Mick Molloy, and Santo Cilauro. Their spoof was named "Accidentally Was Released". Additionally, "Jungle" from the album Shape was included in the British television series Teachers. The band made a guest appearance on Home and Away in 1993. The track "Accidently Kelly Street" was also featured in the 2002 Taiwanese film Blue Gate Crossing.
Frente!'s rendition of "Bizarre Love Triangle" appeared on The Ricky Gervais Show. The song “Book Song” was part of the soundtrack for the American drama series My So-Called Life. Meanwhile, “Ordinary Angels” was broadcast on Melrose Place and included on its official soundtrack album.
Studio albums
| Title | Album information | Highest chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | NZ | US 200 | US Heat | UK | |||
| Marvin the Album |
|
5 | 4 | 75 | 1 | — |
|
| Shape |
|
35 | — | — | — | 109 | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were not released in those regions. | |||||||
Live recordings
| Album Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Live at Fez, New York 2004 |
|
EPs (Extended Plays)
| EP Title | EP Information | Highest chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | New Zealand | US Heatseekers | |||
| Whirled |
|
63 | — | — | |
| Clunk |
|
3 | 30 | — |
|
| Labour of Love |
|
— | — | 10 | |
| Lonely |
|
7 | — | — |
|
| Note: "—" indicates the release did not chart or was unavailable in that region. | |||||
Singles
| Single Title | Release Year | Highest chart placements | Certifications | Album Name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | New Zealand | UK | US Billboard | US Alternative | |||||
| "Accidently Kelly Street" | 1992 | 4 | 4 | 80 | — | — |
|
Marvin the Album | |
| "No Time" | 1993 | 50 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ordinary Angels" (Released only in North America and Europe) |
— | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Lonely" | 1994 | 88 | — | — | — | — |
Lonely EP (Australia) |
||
| "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 7 | — | 76 | 49 | 10 |
Lonely EP (Australia) / |
|||
| "Labour of Love" | — | — | — | 106 | 9 | ||||
| "Sit on My Hands" | 1996 | 66 | — | — | — | — | Shape | ||
| "Horrible" | — | — | 163 | — | — | ||||
| "What's Come Over Me" | 116 | — | 83 | — | — | ||||
| "Goodbye Goodguy" | 1997 | 197 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Jungle" | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Try to Think Less" | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
- a The track "Labour of Love" served to promote the Whirled EP within Australia; despite being classified as an EP, Whirled appeared on the Australian albums chart.
- b The single "Ordinary Angels" was used to support the Clunk EP in Australia.
- c Initially released as a three-track single in January 1994, "Lonely" reached number 88; it was later reissued as a five-track EP including "Bizarre Love Triangle," reaching number seven in May that year.
ARIA Music Awards
Since their inception in 1987, the ARIA Music Awards celebrate outstanding achievement and creativity within the Australian music scene. Frente! has secured two wins at these awards.
Template:Awards table ! Ref. |- | rowspan=5 | ARIA Music Awards of 1993 | Marvin the Album | ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Album | Template:Won | rowspan=5 | [1] |- | "Ordinary Angels" | ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Single | Template:Won | |- |"Accidently Kelly Street" |"Highest Selling Single" |"Nominee" | |- |"Robbie Douglas-Turner for Frente!'s 'Ordinary Angels'" |"Best Video" |"Nominee" | |- |"Angie Hart and Louise Beach for Frente!'s 'Marvin the Album'" |"Best Cover Art" |"Nominee" | |- |ARIA Music Awards of 1996 |"John Hillcoat and Polly Borland for Frente!'s 'Sit on My Hands'" |"Best Video" |"Nominee" | [2] |-
External links
- Articles with short description
- ARIA Award recipients
- Australian alternative rock bands
- Musical ensembles formed in 1991
- Musical ensembles disbanded in 1996
- Musical ensembles reunited in 2004
- Musical ensembles disbanded in 2005
- Musical ensembles reunited in 2010
- Musical groups originating from Melbourne
- Australian indie folk bands
- 1991 establishments in Australia
- Mushroom Records recording artists
- Mammoth Records recording artists
- Female-led musical groups
- Musical groups disestablished in 1996
- Pages with script errors